Tag Archives: faux frenchmen

I attended my first version of this party (it was then held in upstate New York and called JAZZ AT CHAUTAUQUA) in September 2004, and I wandered around in a dream-state, astonished by the music and the musicians, many of whom I’d heard for years but hadn’t been able to speak to in person. And as a journalistic aside, the very first blogpost I wrote here — in early 2008 — was called GOIN’ TO CHAUTAUQUA — so this party and this blog have had a long cozy relationship.

A few years ago the party moved itself to Cleveland, Ohio, and reinvented itself — thanks to Nancy Griffith and Kathy Hancock — as the CLEVELAND CLASSIC JAZZ PARTY. Here is the event’s Facebook page.

In a world where jazz festivals get bigger and bigger and then sink without a trace, the CCJP is going strong. From Thursday, September 14, to Sunday, September 17, 2017, music will be joyous and triumphant in comfortable surroundings among friends. And the music is solid Mainstream, with no gimmicks — which you could expect, given the roster of performers. The flyer I am looking at has, in small type, “Roster and Schedule subject to change,” but I think the players are fairly certain, barring attack by androids or arachnids.

On Thursday night, there’s an informal session (for donors and weekend patrons only) that begins at 7:30. Friday begins with Phil Atteberry’s presentation on Ella (10:30-11:30) and then there are piano solos from 2-4 and an evening set from 5:30-11 and an hour’s set — anything goes — in the “Jazz Club.” Saturday, music from 10-2 and again from 5:30-11 and 11-12. Sunday, 9-1:30. My math won’t stand the strain, but that is a great deal of music. And as someone who feels morally committed to seeing and often recording everything, I appreciate the breaks, which give me and others time to sit and talk in tranquility.

For details — the name of the hotel, prices for individual sessions or the whole weekend, student scholarships, meals, and more, check here.

JUST FRIENDS — when it was originally performed in 1931 — was a sad love ballad, appropriate to the beautifully mournful tones of Red McKenzie — and notice how hip and expansive his second chorus is. He had known and heard the Chicagoans, Jimmie Noone, and of course Louis:

If you prefer the 1932 Russ Columbo version, it’s beautiful also.

At some point, JUST FRIENDS was treated less as a lament and more as a song to play on. (One could point to the Charlie Parker with Strings recording in 1949, and subsequent performances, but Bird often treated it as a medium-tempo ballad.) And that tradition — swing rather than sobbing — prevails today.

That is the sort of wonderful music that happens every year at this party, whether it’s at the informal jam sessions of Thursday night or the sets on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. This year, the Party takes place from September 15 to the 18th.

A word about names. When I started attending this party, it was held in Chautauqua, New York, and was called Jazz at Chautauqua; then it moved to Cleveland and temporarily was called the Allegheny Jazz Party; now it has become mature and changed its name to the Cleveland Classic Jazz Party. You can find out more details here, on Facebook, or at the Party’s www.alleghenyjazz.org, or even by calling 216.956.0866.

The Party takes place at the InterContinental Hotel and Conference Center, 9801 Carnegie Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106. You can call 216.707.4100 or 855.765.8709 to make reservations, but be sure to use the Group Code YOO when you call or reserve online.

In my deepest jazz self, I hold to what I would call the Condon aesthetic: that nothing beats a group of like-minded musicians assembling for a common purpose — creating swinging lyrical improvisations — on the spot, with no arrangements, nothing more formal than a mutually agreed-upon song, tempo, key, and perhaps someone volunteering to play lead in the first chorus. After that, the players live utterly in the moment. Sometimes this freedom makes for collisions, but more often it results in the kind of pleasure one lives for, the moments when the tight collars have been unbuttoned, the painfully fashionable shoes have been kicked off.

Last September, at the Allegheny Jazz Party (debuting with great success in Cleveland, Ohio) these impromptu delights happened many times in the three-day banquet of sounds. But one session has remained in my mind as a high point of playful unfettered collective improvisation — a trio set led by Dan Levinson, clarinet and tenor, with two of The Singular Elders, Bob Havens, trombone; Keith Ingham, piano. The combination of a reed instrument and trombone works beautifully but isn’t often attempted these days. There were bebop precursors and swing ones, but the tonal ranges of the two instruments are delightfully complementary. The trio of piano and two horns requires a certain orchestral approach to the piano, although I am sure that Monk or Herbie Nichols would have done splendidly here, too — but Keith is a full band in himself.

2. I have been attending Jazz at Chautauqua every year since 2004, and it is one of the high points of my year. It’s not simply the music, which is superb and varied. It’s the lovely Hotel Athenaeum overlooking Lake Chautauqua, the beautiful surroundings (think old-fashioned houses with awnings and hydrangeas), and seeing old friends — meeting new ones, too.

4. In case all of this seems financially overwhelming (and I understand that feeling, really) Jazz at Chautauqua has now arranged something they call single-event pricing . . . which means that you can buy a ticket to attend one or more of four lengthy sessions (Friday night, Saturday afternoon, Saturday night, Sunday afternoon) for $120 each. Details can be found here. And it is not too late to sign up for the Traditional Jazz Workshop: imagine taking a master class with personalized instruction from Dan Barrett, Becky Kilgore, Duke Heitger, Scott Robinson, and the others — the stuff that dreams are made of.

I consider it a stroke of great good fortune to be attending Jazz at Chautauqua again this year, and I would like everyone I know who loves this music to share the pleasure . . . although they’d then have to build a much larger hotel ballroom.

All I will say about the 2011 Jazz at Chautauqua is that Western New York State was rocking as it probably hadn’t rocked since the mastodons held an Ice Age party. The music started off wonderfully — after a sweet warmup set by the Faux Fenchmen, we were into serious rhythm business with Marty Grosz.

Marty hadn’t had time to invent a new band name for this informal Thursday-night session, but you can think up your own. They were Randy Reinhart on cornet; Scott Robinson and Dan Levinson on reeds; Jim Dapogny on piano; Jon Burr (for the first two songs) and Frank Tate (for the next) on string bass; Pete Siers on drums. As always, Marty was in charge of repertoire, tempos, vocalizing, guitar, and badinage.

To start things off in the best Hot manner, he chose CRAZY RHYTHM:

Then, a song associated with (among others) McKinney’s Cotton Pickers — not played enough these days — CHERRY:

The eternal question, perhaps unanswerable: HOW COME YOU DO ME LIKE YOU DO?

And to close out, a Louis-associated romper, I DOUBLE DARE YOU:

We were off to a splendid start that Thursday night (Sept. 15, 2011) in the parlor of the Hotel Athaeneum.

Top hat, white tie, and tails aren’t needed — but it’s the official invitation to the 14th Jazz at Chautauqua, held from Thursday, September 15 – Sunday, September 18, 2011, at the sweetly atmospheric Athenaeum Hotel in Chautauqua, New York.

The music will take place from 7-11 PM on Thursday; 2:30-4:30 and 5:30-midnight on Friday, from 10 AM-2 PM and 5:30-midnight on Saturday, and 9 AM – 1 PM on Sunday. The musicians?

I won’t detail the prices and the packages here, but no one I know has ever gone away from Jazz at Chautauqua saying that there was an insufficiency of music, of people with common interests, of compact discs, of things to eat and drink. It is a wonderful cornucopia in every way . . . and those spouses and partners who have enough jazz to suit them can walk among the lovely paths and admire the houses, the hydrangeas, Lake Chautauqua, and more.

The magnificently talented Dan Barrett will be Musical Director of the new Chautauqua Jazz Workshop, to take place Sunday through Thursday, prior to the Chautauqua Jazz Party itself. Dan will head a staff of eight instructors (including Scott Robinson; Rossano Sportiello; Rebecca Kilgore, et al), hosted and sponsored by the Athenaeum Hotel. And the students will be part of the informal Thursday music — inspiring prospects! For details, interested parties should contact: Mr. Bruce Stanton, General Manager of the Athenaeum: bstanton@ciweb.org